Sandra Bernhard

Through films, albums, and the stage, Sandra Bernhard developed quite a reputation for herself. Born in 1955, in Flint, MI, Bernhard grew up the youngest of four children. Her father was a proctologist, while her mother was an abstract artist -- this is probably where her sense of humor for the ironic developed. At age ten, the family moved to Scottsdale, AZ. Bernhard didn't stay there long; after graduation, she made her way to Los Angeles and to the comedy club circuit. As she developed her talent, her irreverent humor became a hit among the club-goers. She made a jump into films with the critically acclaimed King of Comedy, which paired her with Robert DeNiro. Her one-woman shows were an eloquent mixture of humor, music, and satire, and they always changed with the times. Her musical recordings have not, however, fared as well: Without You I'm Nothing and Excuses for Bad Behavior have, for the most part, gone unnoticed, though she did have a club hit with a remake of Sylvester's "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)." I'm Still Here...Damn It!, another one of her one-woman shows, was released on CD in 1998 and DVD in 2000. After a few years of releasing self-recorded concert videos and making appearances in Zoolander, The L Word and her television show The Sandra Bernhard Experience, Bernhard returned to the stage in 2006 with the Off-Broadway show Everything Bad and Beautiful, which was released as an album via Breaking Records. Whatever It Takes, which featured forays into African and Indian-inspired music, arrived in 2009. ~ Tina Mrazik